The best weekend deals: Apple iPad, MacBook Pro, OLED TVs, and more

Best of weekend deals: Apple iPad, MacBook Pro, OLED TVs, and moreExpand Ars-Technica

It's the weekend, which means it's time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the web's best tech deals includes the lowest price we've tracked for Apple's 10.2-inch iPad, which is currently down $280 at various retailers. That's about $50 off Apple's MSRP and about $25 off the average street price we've seen online in recent months.

You can read our review from last September for more details, but in short, we consider the 10.2-inch iPad to be the best option for most people in the market for an Apple tablet. Yes, its A13 Bionic chip isn't as powerful as the M1 SoC found in the iPad Air and iPad Pro, and the device's older design language means it lacks USB-C ports, the laminated touchscreens, improved cameras and wider accessory support of these higher-end models. The 64GB of storage in this entry-level variant isn't a ton either. But as a nice display to use for reading, streaming, browsing the web, and playing casual games, the basic iPad is still very capable. It's fast enough for the most part, it's still usable for lighter work when paired with a good keyboard case, and it supports all the same apps as any other iPad. It's a boring device, but it works, and it's still a significant step up from cheaper Android tablets. More importantly, it's by far the most affordable iPad, especially at this price. The caveat here is that Apple should introduce a new entry-level iPad by the end of the year. We don't expect a refreshed model to arrive during the September 7 event that the company just announced, but if the story holds, we could very well see it announced in October. Recent rumors suggest that this new model could feature a major redesign that brings the device more in line with the looks of the iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad Mini. (This could also lead to the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, though it's hard to say for sure right now.) Anyway, if you don't need a new tablet yet, it's probably worth the wait. But if you do, that's a new low for a tablet that was already a decent value.

Elsewhere, our roundup of deals includes a new low on Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro, which, like the iPad, could get a refresh later this fall, but may still be attractive at this price for developers and power users who need a new model today. We've also got below-par prices on well-reviewed new OLED TVs from LG and Samsung, Google's Chromecast, Microsoft's Xbox Series S, HyperX gaming headsets, Intel processors, Surface laptops, and more. You can check out our full list of offers below.

The best weekend deals: Apple iPad, MacBook Pro, OLED TVs, and more
Best of weekend deals: Apple iPad, MacBook Pro, OLED TVs, and moreExpand Ars-Technica

It's the weekend, which means it's time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the web's best tech deals includes the lowest price we've tracked for Apple's 10.2-inch iPad, which is currently down $280 at various retailers. That's about $50 off Apple's MSRP and about $25 off the average street price we've seen online in recent months.

You can read our review from last September for more details, but in short, we consider the 10.2-inch iPad to be the best option for most people in the market for an Apple tablet. Yes, its A13 Bionic chip isn't as powerful as the M1 SoC found in the iPad Air and iPad Pro, and the device's older design language means it lacks USB-C ports, the laminated touchscreens, improved cameras and wider accessory support of these higher-end models. The 64GB of storage in this entry-level variant isn't a ton either. But as a nice display to use for reading, streaming, browsing the web, and playing casual games, the basic iPad is still very capable. It's fast enough for the most part, it's still usable for lighter work when paired with a good keyboard case, and it supports all the same apps as any other iPad. It's a boring device, but it works, and it's still a significant step up from cheaper Android tablets. More importantly, it's by far the most affordable iPad, especially at this price. The caveat here is that Apple should introduce a new entry-level iPad by the end of the year. We don't expect a refreshed model to arrive during the September 7 event that the company just announced, but if the story holds, we could very well see it announced in October. Recent rumors suggest that this new model could feature a major redesign that brings the device more in line with the looks of the iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad Mini. (This could also lead to the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, though it's hard to say for sure right now.) Anyway, if you don't need a new tablet yet, it's probably worth the wait. But if you do, that's a new low for a tablet that was already a decent value.

Elsewhere, our roundup of deals includes a new low on Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro, which, like the iPad, could get a refresh later this fall, but may still be attractive at this price for developers and power users who need a new model today. We've also got below-par prices on well-reviewed new OLED TVs from LG and Samsung, Google's Chromecast, Microsoft's Xbox Series S, HyperX gaming headsets, Intel processors, Surface laptops, and more. You can check out our full list of offers below.

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